2. Consultation / Intervention Process

What is it?

The Consultation/Intervention Process is the second of three steps in the Indiana Conference’s Fruitful Congregation Journey. It is designed to help a local church conduct a congregational assessment in order to identify what next steps it needs to take in order to more effectively carry out the church’s mission.

What churches are eligible?

Any Indiana Conference United Methodist Church is eligible to participate if its pastor has completed the eight-session Pastor Leadership Development shared learning experience (step 1 of FCJ). Eligible churches can annually apply to participate. A limited number will be selected any given year.

What’s involved?

The team arrives on a Friday morning (in most cases) and conducts one-to-one interviews with staff and laity. It takes the pastor and their spouse to dinner, and holds a focus group with laity in the church.

Saturday, thConsultation/Intervention Process includes the following…

A period of preparation for an assessment weekend (approximately 4 months):

The church will compile a congregational report for an assessment team, which will lead an assessment weekend.

The conference will create a demographic report on the church’s community for the assessment team.

A consultant will lead a one-day workshop for the church’s leaders on concepts/principles of healthy, effective churches.

A mystery guest worshipers’ report will be compiled from the experiences of several outsiders who will visit the church at various times.

Assessment weekend:

The assessment e team meets with the church’s Ad. Council in the morning, then conducts a four-hour workshop with church leaders/congregation; it writes an assessment report and shares a draft with pastor that evening.

Sunday, the team leader preaches at all worship services. A congregational meeting is held following worship where the assessment team’s report is read. The report will give the congregation five key next-step objectives, called prescriptions, to focus on. The prescriptions are to help the church become healthier and more effective at carrying out its mission.

A period of decision:

The church will have 45 days to consider adopting all five prescriptions. If the church agrees, it will move to the final Fruitful Congregation Journey step. This time of discernment will include opportunities for congregational discussion and prayer.

The church’s District Superintendent will convene a Church Conference at the end of the 45-day period where the church will officially vote whether or not to adopt all five prescriptions. (In order to go to step 3, all five must be agreed to.)

Cost?

No charge. The cost of Consultation/Intervention Process (step 2) is paid by the Conference Church Development’s budget.

Questions?

Contact your district’s Church Development staff person. They can be reached at 877 781-6706.

February 13, 2012
Indiana Conference UMC

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